Circular stocking machine



s. P, Boswow. CIRCULR STOCKlNG NIACHlNE APPLICATWN FILED JUNE 4, 1914.

RENEWED DEC.I9,191T.

Wi k\ w y n l/ A George err r et C GEORGE P. BOSWORTH, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGINOR,V BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO HEMPHILL COMPANY, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLND,

A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CIRCULAR STOCKXNG MACHXNE.

Application led June 4, 1914:, Serial No. 843,062. Renewed December 19, 1917. Serial No. 207,9232.

To all whom t may Concern,

Be it known that I, Gnonon l. BoswoRTH, citizen of the United States, residing at Central Falls, Rhode Islaifd, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in `Circular Stocking Machines, of which the following is a specification.

In circular stocking knitting machines of the general type like the Banner made under the patent of Hemphill, No. 933,443, September 7, 1909. a pair of narrowing and a, pair 0f widening picks are employed, the former acting to elevate needles one byone 4from the columns of active needles to inoperative position to narrow the fabric for the heel and toe pockets and the, widening picks serving to lower two needles at each picking action, one of which. however, is subsequent` ly raised. by the narrowing picks, resulting in widening the fabric by one needle at each reciprocating stroke of the knitting head. 1n the Banner machine the two narrowing picks are located at the right hand side of the knitting head, one at the front and one at the rear, and the widening picks are located at the left of the knitting head one at the front and one at the rear. In some modifications of this type of machine the knitting head is set differently in relation to the frame, sovthat the narrowing picks are located at the rear of the knitting head and the widening picks at the front thereof instead of at the right and left sides, respectively, of the knitting head, but in all such machines the order of pickingr is the same.

In the Banner machine the narrowing picks-for convenience may be referred to 'as the front and rear narrowing picks, and the widening picks may be likewise designated, and the order of picking as heretofore prac ticed is beginning the picking for narrowing on the rear pick, and terminating the narrowing on the front pick, while in widening the rear .widening pickl begins the picking and the widening picking terminates on this pick. This order'ot' picking is objectionable, because at the termination of the widening there are less widening loopsthan narrowing loops, and where the heel is made of a different color from the.- leg and foot the extra stitches in the nari-Owings are visible and make the design irregular and lacking in symmetry, whereas at the toe a more serious objection existsn that there are less a Banner machine looking from the left of Figure 3 of the Hemphill patent, the view being in the nature of a diagram,l some parts being omitted and some parts illustrated in dotted lines;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of a needle cylinder with the picks located as in the Banner machine, though as above described the invention may be carried out in connection with machines of other types in which the relation of picks to the cylinder is not the same;

Figure 3 is a side View of the speed changing cam of the Banner machine with one part of my improvement combined therewith Figure 4- is a diagram showing the toe of the stocking in end View and the instep course in edge view before the toe is closed.

The reference characters `used herein with few exceptions are the same as those designating correspondnig parts in the Hemphill patent.

ln these drawings, l is the rotating needle cylinder, a, fi the frontI and rear narrowing picks, and b, the front and rear widening picks. y

In round knittinnr the needle cylinder rotates in the direction of the arrow X, op-

posite clockwise.

- ening picks being their lnoperative position.

The cylinder for roundknitting is drieen.

bthe ratchet e therefore through a train of gearing, of which train the bevel gears n, n. form a part, this gear train beingsimilar to that shown in the Hemphill patent. For reciprocating knitting the cylinder is driven through the gears n', n (and it may be noted here that gear n' meshes with the gear n on its far side in Fig. l) the gear i" on the shaft s and the segmental gear or toothed quadrant i5. This quadrant is oscillated constantly, but only communicates motion to the cylinder through the gear z' when the latter is clutched to the shaft as in the Hemphill patent, and this takes place when the machine goes on reciprocating knitting. The clutch is thrown, during the last part of the forward stroke of the segment, to change the drive, in fact in the Banner machine as organized heretofore all changes in the machine due to pattern mechanism take place on the forward strokeof the-quadrant in the arrow direction y, because the pattern drum, as hereinafter referred to, is moved by a pawl on the quadrant operating the pattern drum on said forward stroke.

Therefore, in prior practice as the quadrant is moving forward or in ther direction of the arrow y, the widening picks are raised to operative position so that as the quadrant Igoes back and the needle cylinder goes on its first reverse widening stroke, i. e., in the direction, opposite to the arrow X, the widening pick b having been raised will be in position to pick down the first two elevated or inoperative needles for beginning the fidening of the, fabric. This is due in ordinary prior practice to the pawl hs freely pivoted to the duadrant at 6 engaging the tooth 8 of the ratchet wheel e fixed on the shaft s to which the cam G is fixed, which cam controls the position of the widening picks to be' elevated into operation or lowered to inoperative'position. The turning of has heretofore caused 2 of the widening pick cam G to pass under and lift the lever 7c which, through the rod In", rod or pin lc", lifts the pick controller 7c the' arms of which overlie the stems of the picks so that when the controller lifts, the springs 12, 12, shown in the Hemphill patent will raise the picks to their operative plane, and picking, will begin on the rear widening pick b when the ipiadrant l(goes leftward orback and the needle cylinder rotates the reverse of the WArowv direction In this lifting action the front pick will remain under the butts of the elevated needles till all have passed, when it will ny up by the action of its spring' inte operative plane to picik when 'the needle cylinder is on its other stroke, i. e., in the arrow direction X. consists in beginning the widening picks on the front pick I; instead of the rear pick o', as in prior practice, and for this pnr the tooth My improvement ose l provide a second tooth 8 in advance of `the tooth H on the ratchet wheel e and so control the pawl li. that on its stroke to the right above described which, in'prior practice, through the tooth 8 would have moved the cani ti sufficiently to lift, the widening pickswill skip, in my present arrangement, the tooth 8 and engage the tooth 8', with the result that the cam ti will be turned only a part of its ordinary step and not sufficient to cause its high part or tooth 2 to raise the lever lo, with the result that this movement will he an idle one, so far as the lifting of the widening picks to op erative position is concerned. However., this short movement of the: ratchet c will have the effect of turning the cam shaft s so that a projection or tooth A connected with this shaft will be moved in the arrow direction, and this will, at the end of this short movement. get into the range of movement of a dog; B fixed on the far end (Fig. l) of the shaft i* upon which the quadrant if is fixed, so that as the quadrant moves leftward the dog B will now engage the tooth A and tu rn the shaft s sufficiently to make the high point 2 on the pick controlling cam G pass to a position under the forward end of lever 1, raising it, together with the pick controller 7c, and allowing the widening picks to lift to their operative position through the action of their springs. This movement of the shaft .9 by the dog B and tooth A therefore completes a movement, together with the movement derived, from the tooth 8 equal to that which is ordinarily given by the pawl it acting on the tooth 8, so that at the end the pick controlling,r cani G is in the same position that it would be under prior practice when the pawl fr engaged the tooth 8 and 3a/ivre the full movement, but the termination of the movement with ,my iniprovement takes 'place on the back or ieftward stroke of the quadrant instead of, r in prior practice. taking place on the fon ward movement of saidquadrant with the rseult that when the widennig picks are raised it is at the endof the cylinder stroke opposite to the arrow direction X; consequently on the next stroke of the cylinder in the arrow direction the front pick will be up and the first widening picking action will take place here. .Vhereas in prior practice as above stated the forward movement of the quadrant and pawl its results in a complete step movement ofthe cam G', the. picks are lifted and the rear pick will be the first to act on the next change of cyl inder stroke, or wbenit returns in the direction opposite to that of the arrow X, this being what my invention avoids.

luder my improvement one stroke of the cylinder. i. e., in the direction opposite to that et the arrow, is idle so far as picking for widening is concerned, but on the next titl gva

maar?? stroke picking begins, i. e., when the cylinder is moving in the arrow direction.

While the projection -or tooth may be variously arranged, I prefer to fix it on the speed changing cani p shown fixed to the right 4hand end ot' the pattern shaft a in Fig. 3 of the Hemphill patent, and when so located the dog B will be located preferably at the right of the machine on an extension of the shaft t to which the quadrant is fixed; I have shown in Fig. 3 a view of the dog B and the speed changing cam p lookn ing from the opposite side of Fig. 1 indicating that the said parts are on the far side of the machine as viewed in Figure l. The pa-wl ks, as in the Hemphill patent, is controlled as to its engaging the teeth of the ratchet e by a controller h pivoted at h3 to the frame, and having a tail piece It? upon which the forward end of the pawl bears 'and slides. The controller is spring-pressed normally downwardly at its front endv by the spring e, and has a lug fr* to be engaged l by lugs on the pattern chain B, one of these lugs. a low one, being indicated in dotted .lines at lx as having lifted the controller high enough at its front end that its tail piece will expose the half tooth 8 but shield the regular tooth 8 so that. as the pawl cornes forward it will, by riding on the tail of the controller, miss the tooth 8 and engage only the tooth 8', thus moving the cam (JV-only a part of its regular step and not enough to ei'ect the raising of the widening picks. In this manner the pawli la is controlled. At certain other times the controller will be lifted by the higher projections 1tl to allow the pawl to engage the teeth of the ratchet e.

The pattern chainy B is operated step'by step by a ratchet wheel cof the Hemphill patent, said ratchet being fixed to the sprocket wheel or drum aboutwhich the chain passes and this ratchet is operated by a pawl t loosely hung on the rocking quadrant arm lhis pawl rides on a fixed projection fixed to the frame which holds it in proper position to engage the ratchet c. The quardant 5 is operated from a face wheel c" through a link i2, the face wheel being driven from the gear loose on theshat't s, and driven through a train of gears im. if', 7, not shown herein but shown in Figure 3 of the Hemphill patent.

' The action above described for widening at the heel is duplicated at the toe, the halt tooth being shown at 8a taking the place of the regular tooth in 'ordinary practice, which would reach from 8b to 8c, and the proiection which cooperates with the dog B to kick the pattern drum forward in the direction of the arrow fw on the back stroke of the quadrant being shown at A. The uneven picking action 1s even more objectionable at the toe than at the heel, because of the necessity of looping to close up the opening at the toe, the extra winding stitches causing the fabric to be puckercd where 0M Seguencc of picking.

It may be mentioned here that the reciprocating strokes of the cylinder are through an arc slightly less than a complete revolution, for instance from E in the arrow direction around to E and reverse.

Referring to the diagram Fig. 2, we will suppose we have four needles up at each end of the row of short butt needles, these occupyingwith their butts the same plane with the bitts of the elevated long butt needles, and we will suppose we are to proceed with the widening as under prior practice. The ibur needles mentioned will be up when tl: machine has completed one of its reciprocating strokes in the arrow X direction or forward. The reverse rotation now takes place resulting in raising a needle at D on the rear narrowing pick. making five elevated needles here, and picking down two needles at E on the rear widening pick. On the next forward stroke one needle will be picked up at E on the front narrowing pick a and two needles will be picked down at D on the front widening pick. (.)n the next reverse stroke one needle will be picked up at D on the rear narrowing pick, and two needles will be picked down at E on the rear'widening pick.

On the next forward stroke one needle will be picked up at E on Front narrowinpr pick and two needles will be picked down at D on front widening pick.

On the next reverse stroke a needle will be raised at D on lthe rear narrowing and two needles will be picked down at E on the rear widening pick, leaving three needles at D elevated and all down at E.

@n the next forward stroke a needle will be raised at E on the front narrowing pick, and the widening picks and instep cam F will now be lowered, and this cam will lower the three needles at D, all the long butts and the one remaining short butt at E. and the machine continues in this forward direction 'for round knitting.

v Improved sequence of picking.

posite the arrow direction, one ,needles goes .up atl) on the rear narrowing pick; no

and D: 0n the rst reverse stroke, i. e., op,-

tates from the point of location ein needle goes down at E because the rear wid ening pick. contrary to prior practice. is now down in inoperative position. On this reverse stroke the dog l operates the picker cam G to' raise the wideningr picks. This, however` takes place at the end of the stroke after the needles at E have passed the widening` picks.

On the next forward stroke one narrowing needle comes up at E on front narrowing pick, and two down at D on front Widening pick.

@n next reverse stroke, one needle corres up at D on rear narrowing pick and two down at E on rear widening pick.

On next forward stroke one needle comes -up at E on front narrowing pick and two down at D on front widening pick.

@n the next reverse stroke one needle is raised at D on the rear narrowing and two needles are lowered at E on the rear widening; pick.

On the next forward stroke one needle is raised at E on the iront narrowing pick and tvvo are lowered at D on front widening,r pick.

0n thenext reverse movement one needle is raised at D on the rear narrowingr pick and two are lowered at E on the rear widening: pick.

@n the next forward movement one up at E on troni'4 narrowing pick and two down at D on front widening pick, these two needies being' all which are elevated at this point.

@n the next reverse movement one needle raised at Don the rear narrowing pick and two are lowered at E `on the rear widen ing pick.

@n the nent Jforward movement, which is now continued for round knitting, one needle comes up at E on the front murowing.;` pick, making; one needle np at each side of the machine.

lhe instep lowering cam is now lowered and also the widening picks., and also the long` hott needles, together with the two remaillingv elevated short hntt needles, one at E and the other at D.

lt will 'he understood that the terms front and rear as applied to the picks, and forward and reverse strokes as applied to the .direction of motion'of th needie cylinder are relative terms 1n the sense that they refer not necessarily to the actual location of these parts in relation to the front of the machine or the point where the operator stands, hntrather to the direction of motion of the cylinder for continuous and reciprocating knitting, the terms forward stroke being used to designate a movement ot the cylinder ,in the same direction as in round knitting, the Jfront wideningr pick being that one towards which the cylinder roof the other widening pick, the front narrowing pick einem? ingsubstantially diametrically opposite the rear widening' pick, and the rear narrowing); pick being substantially diametricallf.' opposite the 'front widening pick.

In view ot the aliove it will be under stood that the terms front and rr-ar" as applied to the, picks and forward and reverse as applied to the strokes are used herein for convenience of identiication, the invention not being limited to any particular location of the picks in relation to what may he considered the front of the machine hecause of the position occupied hy the ntf tendant in running,- the machine.

I show at F the ordinary instep cam for elevatingr the long; butt instep needles to inoperative position, this cam, asin usual pred tice, being raised to elevate these needles when the machine goes on reciprocating knitting.

l claim as my invention 1, ln combination in a circular knitting' machine, a needle cylinder, withnieans rotating it continuously forward in one di rection for round knitting, means for giving a rotary reciprocating movement to tf said cylinder, narrowing picks. widening picks, :i pattern drum having a cam for conl trollino 'the widenin r ncks and means lor operating said cam to adjust the widening picks to operative position, .said means acting on the reverse stroke of the needle cjvlinder, substantially as described.

i5, lin combination in a circular stockiinrv knitting machine, continuons rotari7 and reciprocatorv needle cylinder, narrowingl picks. widening picks` a pattern drum, a quadrant having; oscillatory movement for reciprocatingthe needle cylinder, said pattern drinn having cam means thereon Jfor controllin@ the position of the widening picks, means for operating said drum from the quadrant for arfljnsting the widening picks to operative position. said operation taking place on the reverse stroke of the said quadrant and moving the pnttern drinn vi'orvvardly, substantially as described.

El. In combination in a (,'vircnlarstocking knittingl n'iachine, a continuons rotary and reciprocating needle cylinder, narrowing picks. widening picks, a pattern drum having cam means for adjusting the widening;T picks to and from operative position, a quadrant for giving the needle cylinder its forward and reverse movements as said quadrant moves respectively forward and backward, means for operating the pattern drum one step on the forward movement of the quadrant and another step on the verse movement of the quadrant, the step taking place on the reverse movement serving to move the widening picks to ope fitive position. substantially as described,

4. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a continuous rotary and reciprocatory needle cylinder, narrowing and Widening picks, a pattern drum, a

'quadrant for moving the needle cylinder forwardly on its forward stroke and rearwardly on its rearward stroke, said pattern drum being operated constantly in one direction, means for operating said drum from the quadrant on both its forward and reverse movements, said pattern drum having a pick operating cam for moving the widening picks to operative position on the reverse stroke of the'quadrant and needle cylinder, substantially as described.

5. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a continuous rotary and reciprocatory needle cylinder, narrowing and widening picks, a pattern drum having` a widening pick adjusting cam and operating in one direction step by step, a quadrant for reciprocating the needle cylinder, and connections from the quadrant to the pattern drum for moving it one step for each stroke of the quadrant, said pick cam adjusting the widening picks to operative position on the stroke of the quadrant corresponding to the reverse stroke of the needle cylinder, substantially as described.

6. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder having continuous rot-ation for round knitting and reciprocating movement for heel and toe work, narrowing and widening picks, a pattern drum moving in one direction step by step, said pattern drum including a cam controlling the position of the widening picks, an oscillating quadrant for giving the needle cylinder its reciprocatory movement, a pawl for moving the pattern drum forwardly one step on one movement of the quadrant, and a dog connected with the quadrant and a tooth connected with the pattern drum for moving the said drum anotherstep forward on the other stroke of the quadrant, said tooth being brought into range of said dog by the forward step of the "drum first mentioned, substantiallyvas described. y

7. ln combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder having continuous rotation for round knitting and reciprocating movement for heel and toe work, narrowing and widening picks, a pattern drum moving in one direction step b v step, said pattern drum inciudingJ a cam controlling the position of the widening picks, an oscillating quadrant for giving the needle cylinder its reciprocatory movement, a pawl for moving the pattern drum forwardly one step on one movement of the quadrant, and a dog connected with the quadrant and a tooth connected with the pattern drum for moving the said drum another step forward onthe other stroke of the quadrant. said tooth being brought into range of said dog by the`forward step of the drum first mentioned, said dog being connected with the shaft of the quadrant, substantially as described.

S. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a needle cyl'inder having continuous rotation for round knitting and reciprocatingI movement for heel and toe work, narrowing and widening picks, a pattern drum moving in one direction step by step, said pattern drum including a cam controlling the position l of the widening picks, an oscillating quadrant for giving the needle cylinder its reciprocatory movement, a pawl for moving the pattern drum forwardly one step on one movement of the quadrant, and a dog connected with the quadrant and a tooth connected with the pattern drum for moving the said drum another step forward 'on the other Stroke of the quadrant, said tooth being brought into range of said 'dog by the forward step of the drum first mentioned, said dog bein fixed on the shaft of the quadrant and sai tooth being on the speed changing cam,.sub stantially as described.

9. In combination in a circular stocking knitting machine, a needlecylinder having continuons'rotation for round knitting and reciprocating movement for heel and toe work, narrowing and widening picks, a pattern drum having a cam for controlling the.-

widening picks, al quadrant for reciprocating the cylinder, a ratchet wheel connected with the pattern drum, a pawl on the quadrant for engaging said ratchet, said ratchet having one of its teeth divided, a controller for the pawl, a pattern chain having means to set the controller to permit the pawl to give the ratchet a full Step movement or to lpermit it to move the ratchet a half step on one of its strokes, and a dog connected with the quadrant and a tooth connected with the pattern drum to move the ratchet on the other stroke of the quadrant, substantially as described.

l0. 1n a circular knitting machine, a continuous rotary and reciprocating needle cylinder, a pair of narrowing picks, a pair of widening picks, each of said widening picks lowering two needles on each widening operation and each of said narrowing picks raising one needle at each narrowing operation, and means for controlling the pick of the needles to begin the widening on one widening pick. and terminate the widening on the other widening pick.

11. In a circular knitting machine, a continuous rotary and recil'n'ocating needle cylinder, a pair of narrowil'ig picks, a pair of \\'idenin; 1r picks, each of said widening picks lowering two needles at each widening operation and each of said narrowing picks raisingr one needle at each narrowing operation.,

and means for controlling the picking operations to begin narrowing at one pick, to begin widening at the diametrically opposite pick, and to terminate the picking operations on the remaining picks.

l2. ln a circular knitting machine, a continuous rotary and reciprocating needle cyl inder, a pair of'narrowing picks, a pair of widening picks, each ot said widening picks lowering two needleslat each widening operation and each of said narrowing picks raising one needle at cach narrowing operation, and means for controlling the picks to4 begin narrowing actions on one narrowing pick and terminate picking upon the other nar rowing pick, to begin widening on the widening pick diametrically opposite the narrowing pick first acting and to terminate the widening on the pick diametrically opposite the narrowing pick last i'n action.

13. ln combination, in a knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a stitch cam, means relatively to rotate and oscillate said cam with respect to said needle cylinder, a narrowing pick, a widening' pick, a pattern drum having a` cam for controlling the widening ick, and means for operating Said cam to a just the widening pick to operative position, said means acting upon the reverse stroke: of the needle cylinder.

14e. ln combination, in a lmitting machine, a needle cylinder, a stitch cam, means relatively to rotate andoscilliatesaid cam with respect to the needle cylinder, narrowing picks, widening picks, a pattern drum having a cam for controlling the widening picks, and means Jfor operating said cam to adinet the widening picks into operative position, said means acting on the reverse stroke of the needle cylinder.

15, ln combination, in a knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a stitch cam, means rela tively to rotate and oscillate said cam with respect to said needle cylinder, a narrowing pick, a widening pick, a pattern drnm, and. means for positivelyy moving said widening pick therefrom to render said pick operative, said means acting upon the reverse stroke of the needle cylinder.

16. In a knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a cam shaft, means to rotate and oscillate the needle cylinder, Said means including an oscillated sector, a self-controlled narrowing picker, a widening picker, and means to throw said widening picker into action, said means comprising a part operated by said sector upon its backward stroke.

17. 'In combination, in a circular hosiery knitting machine, a needle cylinder, a knitting cam carrier, means to rotate and to os,- cillate said needle cylinder with respect to said knitting -cam carrier in the knitting of the leg, heel, foot and toe of the stocking or hose, a` narrowing pick, a widening pick, a pattern member, and connections for ositively moving said Widening picker trom said pattern operative, said connections acting upon the reverse stroke of the needle cylinder.

In testimony Whereof,`1 affix my signature in presenceA 'of two iivitnesses.`

GEORGE r. Boswoi'rrn Witnesses:

EUGENE M. GUNNING, JOHN Lawson.

member to render said pick 

